Wrapping-strap package

ABSTRACT

Use of a packaging unit for straps, having at least one coil (1) made of a strap wound around a core (5), and having at least one pallet (2) receiving the coil (1), said pallet (2) having runners (3) that are spaced apart from one another in order that forks of an industrial truck can pass between the runners (3) in order for it to be possible to transport the pallet (2) with the coil (1) resting thereon, wherein the strap is wound helically in a plurality of layers on the core (5), and wherein the pallet (2) is equipped with centring means (4) for the core (5).

The invention relates to the use of a package for strapping band, the package comprising at least one coil made of a strap wound around a core and at least one pallet carrying the coil.

The coil of strapping band wound around the core forms a bundle made by winding the strapping band around the core. In other words, the term coil and bundle are considered to be synonyms within the scope of the present document.

Strapping tapes are known in very different forms and are usually made of steel or plastic. Steel strapping bands are used for example in the steel industry and serve to secure rolled metal sheets wound up for transport and storage, the strapping preventing the bundle from being opened. A corresponding procedure is described in DE 10 2005 048 238 [US 2009/0320409] that relates to a method and an apparatus for bundling steel strapping coils.

In addition, strapping tapes and in particular plastic strapping tapes are used in the paper industry or the packaging industry in order to secure loosely stacked goods. Other fields of use, such as for example in the aluminum, steel, wood and building-material industry, are also conceivable, where such strapping bands are used for securing together individual items (packaged goods).

The strapping bands are used according to the generic teaching according to DE 10 2009 001 544 in such a way that a supply coil of the relevant strapping band is set on a dolly, and the strapping band is drawn therefrom. The strapping band is fed to a strapping machine for use. For transporting and handling such coils, they are often deposited on pallets in practice and moved together with the pallet.

FR 26158331 describes a strip arrangement consisting of a plurality of wires that form a continuous strip by gluing. For this purpose, the associated package has a circular base equipped at its lower part with at least one support leg. The strip is helically wound in respective turns and is spaced apart from a comparable strip of the same structure by washers.

JP 2001 139194 also describes the generic use of a package for label rolls. These label rolls are likewise assembled in annular disks and secured axially by at least one pressing arm.

In practice, no standardized procedures have been established at this point, but rather individual solutions are implemented by the users of the strapping band. This often leads to problems in handling the coils and also to safety problems. In fact, such a coil can have a mass of one-half ton and more, for which reason transport, for example suspended on prongs of a fork-lift truck, is problematic. In addition, the consumption of strapping bands increases worldwide. This can be attributed, for example, to the increase in packaging materials that represent the basis for growing product streams.

Since the previously described processing operations of strapping bands and also their consumption increase, automated solutions are favored in which a strapping machine receives the strapping band from the coil in order to bundle one or more packaging goods to be wrapped and then connect the ends to one another. Such automated processes generally require the continuous supply of strapping band with some necessary standstill times of the strapping machine for maintenance purposes. For this reason, nowadays increased demands are made on coils of strapping bands wound around a core, in particular with regard to the amount of strap available and its immediate processability. This is accompanied by a growing weight of such coils, so that increasing demands are placed on damage-free and safe transport, as well as simple and continuous processing. The object of the invention is to provide a remedy here.

The object of the invention is the technical problem of further developing such a use of a package for strapping bands in such a way as to make available simple and reliable handling of one or more coils made of wound strapping band, in particular with a large coil weight or corresponding dimensions of the coil.

The use according to claim 1 is provided for solving this technical problem.

In this case, there is basically the possibility that the coil or the annulus of wound strapping band or a plurality of strapping bands is placed vertically or lying flat on the pallet. In the control case, however, the coil is accommodated lying on the pallet. The pallet itself has an at least rectangular shape. According to an advantageous design, a hexagonal or even octagonal shape has proven to be particularly favorable. This is because by means of such a shape the pallet can be designed to be rotationally symmetrical in conjunction with the coil accommodated thereon, and the coil and the pallet have a common axis of rotation symmetry. This is of particular importance in that the pallet can be placed directly, for example, on a turntable as a component of a strapping machine.

The turntable is designed to be rotatable, and the overall rotationally symmetrical design of the pallet including the coil accommodated thereon facilitates unwinding the strapping band wound onto the core and the supply to, for example, a drive or intake device. This means that the package according to the invention can be deposited on the turntable and is able to be processed directly for using and dispensing the wound strapping band. Any complex transport or reloading processes can be dispensed with completely. The essential advantages are to be seen herein.

According to a further advantageous embodiment, it is provided that the coil is removably connected to the pallet by, for example, at least one further strapping band. The invention is based on the discovery that the coil in question is first secured by one or more strapping bands wound around the core, in order to prevent the strapping band or the coil from unwinding. In addition, according to the invention, the coil is removably connected to the pallet by a further strapping band so that the respective relevant coil and pallet constitute the desired package, which enables simple and safe transport. Furthermore, since the pallet according to the invention is fixed to the centering structure for the core of the coil, the coil cannot slip with respect to the pallet as with a conventional pallet transport. Since a pallet of conventional design with runners in the preferably hexagonal or octagonal shape is used at this point, conventional industrial trucks, for example a fork-lift truck, can be used particularly advantageously for transport.

The connection between the pallet and the coil ensures that the coil cannot move relative to the pallet during transport. Before or after the package has been deposited on the turntable, it is then only necessary to remove the strapping band between the coil and the pallet, so that the strapping band is then immediately available for processing. A plurality of strapping bands angularly equispaced around the coil as well as the pallet are usually used in order to ensure proper fixing of the coil relative to the pallet under all circumstances.

The centering formations or centering structure of the pallet are generally one or more projections on a upper face of the pallet. The core of the coil can for the most part be designed as a cylindrical cardboard sleeve. The mentioned projections on the upper side of the pallet also define a plurality of centering points resting on an inner surface of the core.

That is to say, in the case of the centering structure on the upper side of the pallet, there are generally one or more projections.

Centering points define how the core of the coil bears with its inner circumference after the coil has been placed on the pallet and thereby simultaneously experiences the desired centering.

For cost reasons, it is typically the case that the centering formations and the pallet are made from the same material. If a wooden pallet is used, the centering structure are projections or simple wooden panels. In general, a plastic pallet or even a steel pallet can, of course, also be used as a pallet, which is then likewise advantageously equipped with a centering structure of the same material.

According to a further advantageous embodiment, the pallet is designed to carry a plurality of coils. For example, it is conceivable that the individual coils are located next to one another on the pallet. In the control case, however, the design is such that the coils form a stack accommodated by the pallet. As a result, it is possible within the scope of the invention to stack a plurality of coils one on top of the other and combine them together with the pallet to form the package. In this connection, the design is additionally such that the pallet is matched in terms of size to the coil and the diameter thereof, so that the package realized in this way has virtually no lateral projections.

As a result, for example, two packages can be placed next to one another in a commercially available container and/or a truck and a plurality of packages can be placed one behind the other in the longitudinal direction. In this way, the container and/or truck in question can be filled and filled in a particularly advantageous manner.

As already described above in connection with the individual coil, the coil stack is advantageously removably connected to the pallet again by, for example, at least one strapping band. In most cases, it is also possible here for a plurality of angularly equispaced strapping bands to secure the coil stack to the pallet. After releasing the one or more strapping bands, the coil stack can be placed directly on the turntable of the strapping machine at the processing location and the wound strapping band can be processed by feeding the strapping band horizontally or predominantly horizontally to the strapping machine by rotating the turntable.

In order that the coil and the pallet are neither soiled nor covered with dust or otherwise damaged during transport, the coil stack and the pallet advantageously have a transport covering. The transport cover can be a film. The advantageously rotationally symmetrical design of the coil or coil stack and of the pallet has proven to be favorable. This is because the film roll can thereby be applied by tangential wrapping.

During the winding process, the strapping band is wound helically in a plurality of layers on the core according to the invention. In this case, it is possible to work in detail with a steel strip as well as a plastic strip as the strapping band. In the case of a plastic strip, the procedure is such that the strapping band is first extruded and typically embossed. In addition, the plastic strip can be made entirely or partially from a recyclate and/or renewable raw material. The recycled material can be a plastic obtained, for example, by recycling plastic waste, such as available in conjunction with disposable plastic bottles. Of course, plastics for example of the “dual German system” can also be reused in this way. The renewable raw material can be plastic based on, for example, polylactides. Combinations are also conceivable.

The embossing ensures a particularly slip-resistant surface of the individual layers of the strapping band wound onto the core with respect to one another. Furthermore, the embossing results in the plastic strip thus equipped being stiffer during handling and short welding times being needed for the subsequent connection of the ends, for example during a friction welding process. Finally, the embossing also results in a saving of material, because an embossed plastic strip requires less material in comparison with such an embossing with the same material thickness. In principle, the strap can also be made from a plastic film by longitudinal cutting.

As a result, a package for strapping bands is provided that is predestined for the processing of particularly voluminous and heavy coils of the wound strapping band.

In fact, straps with a width of more than 9 mm and up to 32 mm can be processed in this way. Strapping tapes with a strip width of up to 60 mm can preferably be made into the coils in question, in that the strapping bands are wound (helically) onto the respective cores.

The strip thickness of the strapping bands can be in the range from 0.5 mm to 1.5 mm. Preferably, even strip thicknesses of 0.5 mm to 2 mm can be used. As a result, a total coil outer diameter or outside diameter of the coil made in this way can be up to 1200 mm. In this context, the inner diameter or inner diameter of the coil is approximately 400 mm and corresponds to the outer diameter of the core.

In addition, this results in winding widths which are up to 400 mm and preferably even up to 500 mm, which hitherto could not be achieved in practice. The coil weight of the coil made in this way is usually up to 400 kg and can preferably even be up to 500 kg. Depending on the dimension of the respective coil and the strip thicknesses or cross-sectional size, the resulting strip lengths are observed can be several thousand meters up to several tens of thousands of meters.

The combination of such a coil with the pallet and position preferably lying on the pallet with simultaneous centering with the aid of the centering formations nevertheless provides a package within the scope of the invention that can be handled in a particularly secure and simple manner. For this purpose, it is merely necessary for the pallet to be gripped and transported by conventional industrial trucks.

The described dimensional ranges of the package also open up the possibility of advantageously combining two of the described packages from the pallet and a coil stack of, for example, three superimposed coils with the width of a transport container. In fact, in this case, by way of example, two packages are used next to one another in order to fill an approximately 2.40 m wide container in the interior. In this way, a longitudinally extending row of five of the packages can usually be placed in the container so that a total of approximately ten of the described packages are inside it. This is of course dependent on the specific size ratios.

As a result of the considerably increased winding width of the coil compared to the prior art and the significantly increased length of the wound-up strapping band resulting therefrom, fewer production interruptions than previously observed are observed. The overall time wasted changing coils during the processing of the strapping band can also be significantly reduced.

This also applies to the observed amount of waste. This is because, as a result of the increased winding width of the coil in conjunction with the increased length of the wound strapping band, fewer cores are required for winding in comparison with the previous procedure. The number of possible transport envelopes and optionally pallets can also be reduced, so that, in addition to a more efficient operation, a particularly resource-saving mode of operation is additionally observed and is established.

In this case, the package according to the invention in conjunction with the associated method for manufacture thereof favors a particularly durable operation of a strapping machine, because the strapping band wound on the core can be made available with a working length which has hitherto not been considered possible and corresponding dimensions that enable a quasi-permanent operation of the strapping machine is possible. Productivity increases and reduces the costs of the processor. The essential advantages are to be seen herein.

The invention is described in more detail below with reference to a drawing showing a single embodiment. Therein:

FIG. 1 is an overall view of the package according to the invention;

FIG. 2 shows a view of the pallet according to FIG. 1 from above in direction X; and

FIG. 3 shows a modified embodiment with two packages one above the other.

A package for strapping bands is shown in the drawing. The strapping bands are, for example, plastic strips made by extrusion and that optionally are embossed. The plastic band in question may have a strip thickness in the range from 0.5 to 2 mm. The band is between 9 mm and 60 mm wide. The strapping band is formed into coils 1 approximately 300 mm to 400 mm thick.

With reference to FIG. 1, it can be seen that, within the scope of the illustrated embodiment, a total of three coils 1 are stacked one above the other and form a coil stack. For this purpose, the strapping bands are wound around respective cores 5 (see FIG. 2) that are not shown in detail but are typically designed as cylindrical cardboard sleeves. The strapping band is wound helically in turns, with each strapping band having a width equal to the coil height along a vertical axis R of the package

The coil 1 in question or the coil stack formed in this way sits on a pallet 2, as shown in the illustrated embodiment. As is customary, the pallet 2 has parallel ground-engaging runners 3 spaced apart from one another so that prongs of an industrial truck, for example a fork lift, can be inserted between the runners 3 in order to be able to transport the pallet 2 with the coil 1 or coil stack thereon.

According to the invention, the pallet 2 is equipped according to a top view in direction X with centering formations 4 for the core 5 of the coil 1 as shown in FIG. 2. The centering formations 4 are, as shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of posts projecting upward from a pallet upper face 6. They form a centering structure with a plurality of centering points 7 that engage a cylindrical inner surface of the core 5, with the result that the coil 1 is centered when it is placed on the pallet upper face 6 of the pallet 2 as shown in FIG. 2.

According to the illustrated embodiment, the centering structure 4 and the pallet 2 are made integrally from wood. In addition, the pallet 2 is designed to carry a plurality of coils 1, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. In fact, the coils 1 form the previously mentioned coil stack supported by the pallet 2 and carried thereon. For this purpose, the coils 1 or coil stack they form is removably secured to the pallet 2 by a plurality of strapping bands 9.

In fact, in FIG. 1, respective strapping bands 8 are shown that each surround a respective one of the coils 1 to prevent unwinding thereof. Normally several such straps 8 are provided for each coil 1, for instance three angularly equispaced by 120°.

In addition, the individual coils 1 are removably coupled to one another and to the pallet 2 by the additional strapping bands 9, as can be seen from FIG. 3. In order to access the strapping, it is merely necessary to release these straps 8 and 9. The strapping band wound on the core 5 can then be fed directly to a strapping machine. For this purpose, the package shown, for example, in FIG. 1 is rotatable about its axis R on a turntable of a strapping machine (not shown in detail).

Thus, as a result of the centering of the respective coil 1 with the aid of the centering formations 4 and the mutual alignment of the coils 1 during creation of the illustrated coil stack, the coils 1 or coil stack and the pallet 2 have a common rotational symmetry axis R. As a result, the package can be carried without problems on the turntable of the strapping machine already mentioned above and, by rotating the turntable, the wound strapping band can be unwound and fed, for example, to a drive of the strapping machine.

Finally, it can be seen from FIG. 3 that the coil stack formed from the individual coils 1 and the pallet 2 have a common transport covering 10. According to the illustrated embodiment, the transport wrapping 10 is a film. This film can be wound around the package with the aid of a film-winding machine and connected thereto and ensures that the package is protected from dirt, moisture, etc.

The plastic strip can be, for example, a polyester, polypropylene or other suitable thermoplastic plastics. In this case, a recyclate can also be used entirely or partially. In addition, the whole or partial use of renewable raw materials, for example polylactides, is also conceivable. The pallet upper side 6 or the pallet 2 overall has a surface which is adapted to the diameter of the coil 1 and has the smallest possible lateral projection. 

1. A package comprising: a core; a coil made of strapping band wound helically around the core in a plurality of layers, and a pallet having a centering structure for the core, carrying the coil, and having individual runners spaced apart from one another so that fork prongs of an industrial truck can engage between the runners to transport the pallet with the coil thereon.
 2. The package according to claim 1, wherein the coil lies flat on the pallet that is polygonal.
 3. The package according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the coil is removably connected to the pallet by at least one strapping band.
 4. The package according to claim 1, wherein the centering structure for the core is an upward projection on a pallet upper face.
 5. The package according to claim 4, wherein there are a plurality of the projections defining a plurality of centering points resting on an inner surface of the core.
 6. The package according to claim 1, wherein the centering structure and the pallet are made of wood.
 7. The package according to claim 1, wherein the pallet carries a plurality of the coils as a coil stack.
 8. The package according to claim 7, wherein the coil stack is removably secured to the pallet by a strapping band.
 9. The package according to claim 1, wherein the coil and the pallet or coil stack and the pallet have a transport covering.
 10. The package according to claim 9, wherein the transport covering is a film.
 11. The package according to claim 1, wherein the strapping band is a plastic or steel strip.
 12. The package according to claim 1, wherein the strapping band is an extruded plastic strip made entirely or partially from a recyclate and/or renewable raw material.
 13. The package according to claim 1, wherein the coil has a winding width of up to 400 mm, the wound strapping band has a width of more than 9 mm to 32 mm and a thickness in the range from 0.5 mm to 1.5 mm, the coil has an outer diameter of up to 1200 mm and a weight of more than 400 kg to 500 kg.
 14. The package according to claim 1, wherein the core is cylindrically tubular and the structure projects upward inside the core. 